Speed-indicator-driving mechanism for railway-cars.



A. B. CADMAN. SPEED INDICATOR DRIVING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CARS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1911.

Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

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1,053,569. Patented Feb.18, 1913.

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ADDI BENJAMIN CAD'MAN, 01 SHORE WISCONSIN.

SPEED-INDICATOR-DR IVING MECHANIQM FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent PatentedFcb. 18, 1913.

Application filed May 22, 191i. semrno. 628,869.

To all whom it may] concern:

Be it known that I, ADDI BENJAMIN C 1)- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residin at Beloit, in the county of Rock, State \Visconsin, have made a certain new and useful Invention in, Speed-Indicator-Driving Mechanism for. Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification,

'lh1s,1nvent on relates to drive mechanism for speed indicators, and particularly to ap-' A further object of the invention is to} provide a drive mechanism of the character referred to which is constructed and arranged to drive the speed indicatingormeas uring instrument incontinuous direction whether the car or other vehicle, to which the mechanism is applied, moves in one'direction or the other.

A further object of the invention is to' provide a drive mechanism of the character referred to adapted to be driven by peripheral contact of a drive wheel withthe tread or other convenient surface of a truck-wheel of a car or other vehicle, and wherein'reversal of direction of rotation of the truck or other wheel doesnot alter the continuous direction of operation of the speed or measuring instrument, and wherein means for accommodating the change in direction of rotation of the driving-"truck wheel, without change in dilect-ion of operation of the in-' strument to be driven, is accomplished in a simple manner and without complicated or easily deranged mechanical parts.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter. v

, The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination, location and relative-arrangement of parts-all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawings, and-finally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying -drawings:-I igure 1 is. a view in horizontallongitudinal section on the line 1-1 of Fig.2,

looking in the direction of the arrows, s how-, mg a construction embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation'of' the same; Fig, 3 is a detail' view in side elevation of thepivotally mounted supporting bracket em loyed in connection with my invention. ig. 4 is a broken detail view in section on a plane indicated by 4--4 in Fig. 1.

The same part is designated by the same reference sign wherever it occurs throughout the several views.

In the operation of moving vehicles, such for instance as railway cars, engines,

street-cars, and the like, it is desirable to provide means for indicatin or measurin the speed at which he vehicle travzls so. as to disclose to the passengers, engineer, motorman or other person on acar or vehicle, the speed of the car, train or vehicle. In the application of speed indicating devices driven by connections to a moving art of the car or train it is evident that to drive mechanism for such instruments is subjected to rough and .hard usage'incident to the normal operation of'theicar, train, or vehicle. It is also necessary to rovide such a construction that the speed in icating or'measuringinstrument shall' be driven -1n J'continuous jd-ire'ction Whether 'the car, train or vehicle moves in one direction or the other under operating conditions of service. r

It is among the special purposes of my present invention to. provide a drive mechanism for an instrument of the character referred to which is strong and durable, which is driven by a drive wheel arran ed to bear against the tread or other suita le portion of 'a truck wheel, so as to be driven in one direction or the other according to' the direction of travel of the train, car, or vehicle, but which operates devices for driving the indicator or measuring instrument in continuous direction whether the drive wheel is driven in one direction or another; wherein the engagement of the drive wheel against the truck wheel is yieldingly maintained, and wherein a simple and cilicient device isemplcycd having few mechanical parts, which are not liable to get out-of order, for accommodating the reversals in direction of operation of the drive wheel without re versing the direction of operation of the indicating or measuring instrument.

It is also among the special purposes of my invention to providea construction of drive mechanism of the character referred to which is capable of being readily and easily applied to or removed from the car, train, or vehicle, without interfering with the running gear of the vehicle, car or train, or without being interfered with by such running gear.

' Referring to the accompanying drawings, 10 designates a supporting frame or member adapted to be bolted or otherwise secured upon a convenient part of the truck frame of a railway car or other vehicle, and arranged to carry a supporting pin 11. Upon the supporting pin 11 is pivotally mounted a bracket or frame 12 having an upwardly extending lug 13. The supporting member 10 is provided with a cooperating upwardly extending opposing .lug projection 14. A bolt 15 is connected to the bracket lu'g 13 and works loosely through the lug 14 of the supporting member 10.

' mounted on the bolt and arranged to bear at one end against the supporting member 10 or an extension thereof, and at the other end against an adjustable nut washer 17, mounted on said rod. The spring exertsits tension upon said rod to cause the bracket respective ends thereof.

or frame 12 to be held yieldinglypressed in one direction of rocking movement upon its pivot 11. Suit-ably journaled in said frame or bracket 12, to extend longitudinallv thereof, is a shaft 18 carrying oppositely presenting bevel gears 19-20 at the frame bracket 12 is formed into a casing 21 affording bearings for a shaft 22, arranged to extend. at right angles to shaft 18, and having thereon a bevelgear 23 meshing with gear 20 on shaft 18. The shaft 22 extends through the casing 21. and carries a drive gear adapted to bear against the peripheral surface or other convenient portion of the truck wheel of the car or other. vehicle to which the apparatus 'is to be .ap-

'plied. If desired and in order to inclose the chamber 25 of casing 21 the ends-of said casing are provided with caps 2627 suitably applied thereto and which serve to retain in place suitable ball bearings for the shaft 22 and also to exclude dust and dirt from the gearing inclosed within said chamber, the latter, at thesame time, affording etlicient means for lubricating the gearing referred to. If desired, and as shown, the shaft 18 may also be mounted in suitable or convenient ball bearings. At its opposite end the frame bracket 12 is provided with a bearing in which is mounted and suitably journaled a shaft 28 arranged to extend in a direction transversely of the shaft 18, the bearing cap member 29 serving to retain Upon the shaft 28 are mounted to revolve loosely two A spring 16 is At one end the.

oppositely faced bevel gears 30-3lboth meshing with and being driven by the bevel gear 19 on shaft 18, which is placed intermediate the same. It is obvious from this description that the bevel gears 3031 are simultaneo-usly driven, but in opposite directions. The bevel gear 30 carries a collar 32 having a shoulder 33 bounded on one-side by an inclined cam surface 34 which presents outwardly away from the gear face of bevel gear 30. Similarly, bevel gear 31 car ries a collar 35 having a shoulder 36 which is bounded on one side by an inclined cam surface 37 the shoulder 36 and cam surface 37, being formed on the outer face of said spect toeach other upon shaft 28. This shaft 28 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot or key way '38 in which. is received an endwise shiftable key 39, This key is provided at its ends with laterally extending studs 1041 respectively cooperating with the shoulders 33-36 of collars 3235. The distance apart of the studs 40-4L1 is just sufficient to carry one of said' studs out of engaging relation with respect to its associated shoulder on an adjacent collar when the other stud is in engagement with the shoulder upon its cooperating collar. Thus, in the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 4 the stud 4:0 is in engagement withshoulder 33 on collar 32, while the stud 41 has been shifted out of engaging relation with respect to the shoulder 36 on its associated collar 35.

From the foregoing description it will be i seen that when the bevel gear 19 is rotated in the direction of the hands of a clock the shoulder 33 on collar 32 will engage pin 40, thereby rotat-ing'the shaft 28 through such engagement, while the gear 31 will simply run'idly, the pin 11 having been shifted out of engaging relation with respect to shout der 36. This is the condition of operation when. the drive wheel 24 is driven in one direction, that is. when the car or train is moving in one direction. If this direction of movement of the car or other vehicle, is changed so as to drive wheel 24 and hence shaft 18, and bevel gear 19, in the opposite direction, or in a direction reverseto that of the travel of the hands of a clock, then the relative direction of rotation ofbevel gears 30 and 31 is reversed. The first effect of this reversal is to cause the inclined cam surface 34in the first reverse revolution of bevel gear 30, and its collar 32, to engage the pin 40 and shift the same laterally out of position to be engaged by shoulder 33; in other words, the pin 40 is shifted so as to permit the collar 32 to ride idly therepast. This shifting movement of pin 40, effected by the cam surface 34, causes the key 39 to be correspondingly shifted endwise in the slot or key-way 38, in shaft 28, and hence the pin 41 in the other end thereof is brought into engaging relation with, or position to be engaged by, the shoulder 36 on collar 35 which, as above explained, revolves in a direction opposite to that of collar 32 and gear 80. Similarly upon an other reversal of direction of drive the cam gm-face 37 will engage pin 41 and shift the ame and the key 39 back again to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4, with the pin 40 in position to be engaged by shoulder 33. Thus the shaft 28 is driven in continuous direction, whatever may be the direction in which shaft 18, or its drive wheel 24, may operate, the shifting of the driving COI1HEC tions between gears 30-31 and shaft 28 be ing effected by the, cam surface 34 37, and being accomplished during the first complete revolution of the gears QED-31, while changing directions.

The speed indicating instrument may be driven from shaft 28 in any suitable or convenient arrangement of gear connections. I have shown a simple arrangement wherein the shaft 28 carries a bevel gear 42 at its end arranged to mesh with a cooperating bevel gear a?) carried on a shaft 44. to which may be connected or coupled, in the usual or any convenient n anner, the flexible or other shaft which drives the indicator or measuring instrument. V

The various rotating arts may if desired, be provided with suitab e or convenient ballbearings in order to reduce the friction of operation thereof, but these and other details are not of material consequence, and may be altered or varied within a wide range without departure from, "or affecting the scope of, my invention.

The bearing portion of the frame bracket 12 in cooperation with the cap member 29 of the bearing may serve to constitute an inclosed chamber for containing the caring concerned in securing rotation of siaft 28 in continuous direction notwithstanding reversals of direction of the driving shaft. The chamber of this casing in which the gearing referred to is contained affords a convenient means for efiiciently lubricating the gearing.

Many variations and changes in the details of construction and arrangement would readily occur to persons skilled in the art and still fall within the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the claims.

It will be observed that the work to be performed by the drive gearing in driving the instrument is comparatively slight,

since the instrument runs frcely, and consequently the key 39 has but very little strain imposed thereon.

The construction above described provides an exceedingly simple and inexpensive mechanism for the purpose in view, and wherein the parts are few and not liable to derangement under the rough usage to which the apparatus may be put whenapplied in service operation on the railway cars or other vehicles, engines or the like.

Having now set forth the object and nature of my invention and a construction embodying the principles thereof what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure 0 by Letters Patent is:-

l. in a drive mechanism of the'character set forth, a shaft to be driven in continuous direction, a driving gearing therefor, adapted to be driven in opposite directions, and including oppositely faced and revolvi gears mounted to revolve loosely on sai shaft, a shiftable coupling member extending through said gears for coupling them to said shaft, and means located on the outer faces of said gears to engage said coupling members whereby the rotation of one of said gears in one direction shifts said coupling member out of engaging relation therewith and into engaging relation with the other of said gears.

2. To a mechanism of the character set forth, a shaft, and means for rotating the same in continuous direction including drive gearing operatable in opposite directions, said means including oppositely faced gears mounted to-revolve loosely on said shaft in opposite directions, a, shiftable coupling member forconnecting one or the other of said gears to rotate with said shaft, said coupling member extending through said 0113-. positely faced gears, means carried by t e outer face of each gear for engaging said member to shift the same into and out of position to form ,a coupling for one or. the other of said gears with the shaft, according to the direction of rotation of said gears.

3. In a drive mechanism of the character set forth, a shaft, having akey-i'vay. a shiftable key operated therein, oppositely faced gears mounted torevolve loosely on said shaftin opposite directions, and through which said key extends,engaging means carried by each gear upon the outer face thereof and arranged to engage said key according to the direction of rotation of said gears, whereby when said key is shifted into position to be engaged by one of said gears it is shifted out of engaging relation with respect to the other of said gears.

i. To a drive gearing of the character set forth, a shaft having a key-way a slidable key mounted therein and having an engaging projection at each end, oppositely faced gears mounted to revolve loosely on said shaft in opposite directions, and through which said key extends, said gears on their forth, a shaft having a longitudinal key way, a shiftable key mounted therein, said key having its ends bent outwardly to form -stop, projections, oppositely faced gears loosely mounted to revolve in opposite directions upon said shaftfand having shouldered collars respectively placed ,outside the space between said gears, and cooperating with the key projections, and means for shifting said key projections,respectively, into and out of engaging relation with respect to their engaging'shoulders.

6. In a drive gearing of the character set forth, a shaft, oppositely faced gears mounted to revolve loosely thereon in opposite directions, collars carried by said gears and located respectively outside the space between the gears ,and-provided with shoulders on their outer faces,means extending through the gears and carried by the shaft and cooperating with said shoulders to couple said gears to said shaft and means whereby wheri .said engaging connections are in engaging relation with respect to one of said collars it is shifted out of engaging relation with respect to the other of said collars.

7. In a drive gearing of the character set forth, a shaft, oppositely faced gears mounted to revolve thereon in opposite directions, a collar carried by each gear and provided with a shoulderland a cam surface, said collars being respectively located outside the space between thegears and engaging devices extending through the gearscooperating with said shoulders and cam surfaces, the cam surface of one collar operating to shift the engaging device int-o engaging relation with the shoulder on the other collar to couple the same to rotate with said shaft.

8. In a drive gearing of the character set forth, a shaft having a key-Way, a shiftable key mounted therein and having lateral projections at its ends, oppositely faced gears mounted to revolve loosely in opposite directions on said shaft, a collar connected to rotate with each gear, each collar located outside the space between the gears and having a shoulder and an inclined or cani surface res 'iectively cooperating with the lateral projection at the corresponding end of said key, the cam surface of one collar adapted to engage its associated key projection to shift the other key projection into engaging relation with the shoulder on the other collar.

In testimony whereofI have hereunto set my hand in thepresence of the subscribing witnesses, on this 9th. day of May, A. I), 1911.

ADDI BENJAMIN CADMAN.

Witnesses C. II. VVARNnn, T. J. BURNS, II. E. BLWEN. 

